8th Grade Summer Reading Blog

Shawna Locke “ Life is a gift. Don’t forget to live it.” This quote is memorable because it seems to be a theme throughout this story. Some of the things that she does comes back to this quote. For example, Madeline goes to Hawaii with Olly because she’s never been out of her house due to her illness. So she makes this decision to go because she she knows life is a gift, and she wants to live hers. Even though she could become ill.

Jenna Loubier "Come here," said Frank. "I'll show you how to clean them." Frank and Chris are lost on an island after the boat they were on just sunk. Frank is talking about the fish they had just caught from the river. This might not seem like an important quote, but in my opinion this is the first time Frank has ever tried to teach or interact with Chris. Before, they were very distant. They were always arguing or just being mean to each other. I feel that at this moment, Frank realized that if they are going to have a chance at survival, they need to work as a team. 

Meredith Wood "What's done is done." One of the reasons I chose this quote is because it is so true. Things happen, some good and some bad, but no matter what you can't change the past and you have to learn to cope with it. The second reason is because people need to remember this quote. Instead of living in the past, you should embrace the future. This quote is so memorable because in just four words, it makes you stop and think for a little bit. I love this quote and I think it should be shared with other people. 

Adam Collins “Well make an X in the clearing,” he said on our third morning. “Well make it so big they can see it from a space station.” I think this quote is important because it shows that the two main characters Frank and Chris are trying to escape the island. I think it was a pretty cool idea for Frank to come up with building an X, because I would never come up with that if I was stranded on an island, so I think that was pretty neat. I think it was an interesting quote because it seems like something you could put in a move or an apocalyptic TV show.

Amanda Mailhoit “The ones who love you are the ones who can hurt you the most.” This quote repeats many different times throughout the book. It's even on the front cover! This quote is very true because in reality the ones who you love or say I love you to are the ones who hurt you the most. I feel that this quote is important to know. There are many quotes like this one but they don't describes how love works like this one does.This quote doesn't just describe how love works it explain how it works. This important quote should always be remembered because of its truth, explanation, and power.

Dominic D' Orazio "The best things in life are worth fighting for." I think this is a memorable quote because I believe that these words were meant to inspire someone. My book says these words to inspire the main character Astrid before her big roller game. I tell my brother this quote all the time during soccer when he wants to give up and every time I say it, he sticks with it and never quits.

Hailey Davis "Matt would never have made the dumb play I made last night. I've learned a lot from watching him. You can't say that I'm better then he was. We have different strengths." I chose this excerpt because it explains the character's loyalty. Most people would bluff and get all full of themselves, but not Alex (the main character). He knows that if that all goes to your head, you don't play like you should. Instead you try and show off, but it doesn't work out. He knows that he has the golden arm, but he also knows that Matt knows the game better than him. That's why he said, "you can't say I'm better than he is."

Kate Butcher "I didn't write it for you. I wrote it for me. I wrote it to work my way through the story that formed me. I wrote it to examine the past and figure out who Murdock was, so that I can figure out who I was. I wrote it to understand who I am." I really like this quote and I feel it really adds emotion to the story and the character. I think this is important because throughout the whole story a boy is writing to his youngest sister about their life and how they grew up, trying to help her understand it more. But at the end, he realized that all along he was writing it to help himself   "understand" the past and who he was, like the quote states. He had felt like he had made a new beginning after that. He had gotten through it all even though the waters were rough.

Aidan Flynn " I want to see the real you." This quote appears many times throughout the book. Personally, I don't think the quote is super important, but it just sounds great to me. When I'm reading a book of one of my favorite topics, I sometimes don't enjoy the things that are always teaching you something, but sometimes I enjoy reading something that lets me just have a chuckle or sounds cool when you say it in your head. 

Caleb Galloway The Leveller  Julie Durango "A three-story virtual mall of glass and gold, the Landing sparkles like a shopaholic heaven, enticing faithful spenders into the fold. Filled with dozens of flashy boutiques, stores, and salons, here you can purchase character enhancements for your avatar, as well as costumes, weapons, tools...anything you might want or need for the world created." I think this quote is important because it talks about what the Meep  lobby (known as the Landing) is all about. It tells you what it looks like, what kind of buildings there are in the Landing, and what you can buy in the shops for when you go adventuring in the Meep.

Hello 8th Graders! I hope everyone is having a great summer so far. I have been enjoying the beautiful warm weather and doing lots of reading! I am currently in the process of posting the summer reading assignments that you have sent me so far. Keep checking this blog as I update each week. Congratulations to Caleb Galloway and Aidan Flynn for being the first two people to email their summer reading assignments!